Psalms 88:18

“Awake, sword, against my shepherd, and against the man who is close to me,” says Yahweh of Armies. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; and I will turn my hand against the little ones.

Behold, the time is coming, yes, and has now come, that you will be scattered, everyone to his own place, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

But standing by Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out;

“He has put my brothers far from me. My acquaintances are wholly estranged from me.

They abhor me, they stand aloof from me, and don’t hesitate to spit in my face.

I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s children.

Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will you indeed be to me as a deceitful brook, like waters that fail?

The women, who had come with him out of Galilee, followed after, and saw the tomb, and how his body was laid.

He has slandered your servant to my lord the king, but my lord the king is as an angel of God. Therefore do what is good in your eyes.

For now you are nothing. You see a terror, and are afraid.

My relatives have gone away. My familiar friends have forgotten me.

My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague. My kinsmen stand far away.

Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate bread with me, has lifted up his heel against me.

Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness. I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; for comforters, but I found none.

You have taken my friends from me. You have made me an abomination to them. I am confined, and I can’t escape.

Look on my right, and see; for there is no one who is concerned for me. Refuge has fled from me. No one cares for my soul.

The rich man’s wealth is his strong city. The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

Wealth adds many friends, but the poor is separated from his friend.

Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has conceived these for me, since I have been bereaved of my children and am alone, an exile, and wandering back and forth? Who has brought these up? Behold, I was left alone. Where were these?’ ”

There is no one to guide her among all the sons to whom she has given birth; and there is no one who takes her by the hand among all the sons who she has brought up.

For even your brothers, and the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you! Even they have cried aloud after you! Don’t believe them, though they speak beautiful words to you.

My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill. Yes, my sheep were scattered on all the surface of the earth. There was no one who searched or sought.”

Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me.”

Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of me tonight, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’

There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;

The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, another steps down before me.”

David said in his heart, “I will now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel. So shall I escape out of his hand.”

I will come on him while he is weary and exhausted, and will make him afraid. All the people who are with him will flee. I will strike the king only,

Because of all my adversaries I have become utterly contemptible to my neighbors, a horror to my acquaintances. Those who saw me on the street fled from me.

Their own tongues shall ruin them. All who see them will shake their heads.

I watch, and have become like a sparrow that is alone on the housetop.

The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly.

He who increases his wealth by excessive interest gathers it for one who has pity on the poor.

Yahweh, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, says to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and rise up, princes, and they shall worship, because of Yahweh who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring. He will prolong his days and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.

The shepherds will have no way to flee. The leader of the flock will have no escape.

For I will restore health to you, and I will heal you of your wounds,” says Yahweh; “because they have called you an outcast, saying, ‘It is Zion, whom no man seeks after.’ ”

Now at that time the king of Babylon’s army was besieging Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah’s house.

She weeps bitterly in the night. Her tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her. They have become her enemies.

“I called for my lovers, but they deceived me. My priests and my elders gave up the spirit in the city, while they sought food for themselves to refresh their souls.

He has walled me about, so that I can’t go out. He has made my chain heavy.

I cut off the three shepherds in one month; for my soul was weary of them, and their soul also loathed me.

Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of me tonight, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

But all this has happened that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.

They all left him, and fled.

By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.

I don’t speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen. But that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.’

All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

At my first defense, no one came to help me, but all left me. May it not be held against them.

The king said, “Where is your master’s son?” Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem; for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore me the kingdom of my father.’ ”

My brothers have dealt deceitfully as a brook, as the channel of brooks that pass away;

All the relatives of the poor shun him: how much more do his friends avoid him! He pursues them with pleas, but they are gone.

All his acquaintances and the women who followed with him from Galilee stood at a distance, watching these things.